Skate Blog Intern Blog

As I sit here typing my last blog as a BambooSK8 intern I’m amazed that 4 months have gone by.  I think that statement alone says something about this internship.  It was definitely difficult and frustrating at times (what job isn’t) but it was definitely a lot of fun too.  Being busy and having fun makes time fly by.

During the internship I learned about the role that social media plays in a small company, about growing video views on youtube, and about creating press releases.  Through our midterm and final I learned about the income statement and statement of cashflow, how the two relate, and how important they are to a business owner.  I also learned a lot about myself. I now know that if I pay attention to all the little details and am more efficient with my time I can be successful.  I learned a lot in 4 months and I’m definitely proud to be 1 of the final 3 interns.  Now that its over I definitely feel more prepared for a career in marketing in any industry but especially the action sports industry.

I want to thank Geoff K, Mark, Wyatt, Geoff C, and Jackie for all the help along the way and I want to congratulate Kyle and Chelsea for making it all the way through.  Thanks guys for making this such a great experience!

For everyone out there reading this, I’m leaving you with some pictures of the office ugly sweater Christmas party…..

Have a happy Holiday!

Its getting down to it folks, only a few weeks left here at BambooSK8.  All the interns just took the final which was more difficult than I thought it would be.  It taught me a lot about lead time, which basically means I learned about inventory.  A company has a given amount of lead time ( say 8 weeks ) to get new product from the factory (total of ordering and then shipping), if you do not order your items early enough then you will run out of inventory before the new shipment comes. So business owners/companies have to plan ahead in order to optimize their inventory.  Basically the test asked you to look at the big picture and determine when you need to order your next shipment of skate decks.  I actually did pretty well on the test scoring a 47 out of 50 so that felt pretty good.  The final helped me understand the relationship of the income statement and cash flow statement with regards to lead time.  It also taught me that no matter what your area of expertise (marketing, management, accounting, finance) you need to have a basic understanding of the other departments in order to get things done.

On Tuesday I noticed another addition to the warehouse.  We can now take breaks and play ping pong!  Last night after work I beat the other intern Kyle 10 times and only lost once…. kind of a beat down…. but it was definitely fun and brought me back to when I used to play all the time.

Here’s a link to what our ping pong game looked like:

ping pong match

Thursday all the interns had mock interviews with Mark, Geoff, and Wyatt (the boss men).  I kind of sucked.  But the experience was definitely positive.  They were all super supportive and gave great feedback.  Some things I need to work on were exuding more confidence and making eye contact with all the people that were interviewing me.  They also gave me feedback on all of my interview answers so that I can practice them for future interviews and so that I can have more confidence in my answers moving forward.  At the end, they reviewed my resume and gave me some feedback on that as well.  I definitely feel more prepared for the next interview that I get, wherever that may be.

In other news I was up in LA and then visited Venice the other weekend which was a lot of fun.  Venice is a really cool town, with a lot of great skate parks, I attached some pictures because the view from the beach is great.

Venice Beach

View from the apartment I stayed at in LA

Until next time,

Tyler

**Please be sure to answer questions at bottom of job description**

BambooSK8 is an ecologically-based skateboard brand and manufacturer of high quality skateboards made from sustainable bamboo from managed forests.  We are social entrepreneurs who believe that giving back to our communities is as equally important as profits.  We service core shops, brands and individuals around the globe while providing a solidified partnership and unique experience with each.  We have been a part of action sports and skateboarding our whole lives and now passionately hope to inspire others to take actionable steps towards the preserving of our natural environment.  BambooSK8 is a division of BambooBuddy LLC but has the same owners.

If you are ready to make a difference in the world, work super hard without whining and get some killer real-world experience – then we are happy to meet with you.  By all means, please visit our website and read the “internship-in-training blog” to gain insight on what is all entailed, as our program is designed to be intense and kick your butt a little bit.  Internship will start the first week of January 2012.

We are currently seeking:  Marketing Interns-in-training (non-paid) for both in-the-office and out-of-the-office

In-the-office:

• Oceanside, CA working directly with the Operations Manager, Warehouse Supervisor, CEO and COO

• A minimum of 1 day per week (8 hours) in the office is expected but the internship requires nearly 20 hours per week total, for 4 solid months.  2 days per week is highly recommended to maximize ones learning.  If you aren’t financially stable and can’t realistically fulfill these requests, then please do not apply.  Also, if you are using the internship as “filler” until you find a job, then please don’t apply.

Out-of-the-office (limited to only 5 interns who live out of the state of California):

• Online working directly with the Operations Manager and COO

• A minimum of 20 hours per week total, for 4 solid months

Internship is graded on 400 total points involving weekly duties such as managing your commitments/goals file, writing weekly blogs, weekly Skype calls, updating your MPS philosophy, providing mentor feedback, intern matrix grading other interns, mid-term exam, final exam, communication with COO, etc.  The internship is broken down into categories:  sales, pr, marketing and social media.  Each month a minimum number of points is required in order to continue in the program.  You will have a new mentor inside the company to work closely with each month which includes having 1-on-1 weekly meetings. The last month of the internship is devoted to improving your resume, interviewing practice and other key actions  to maximize your opportunities for job growth.  Past interns have gone on to work for Fox Moto-X, Sole Tech, Action Sports Group, BambooSK8, Dark Horse Distribution, HARO Bicycles, Rock Star Energy drink, etc.

Responsibilities:

• Assist with marketing campaigns – print and digital; viral-focused

• Assist with generalist duties – organizing/filing emails, making phone calls, etc.

• Assist with public relations – updating database of contacts, writing press releases, finding positive publicity

• Visit skate shops, skate parks, attend industry events (X-games, Vans Warped Tour, Maloof $ cup, Tampa Am, etc.)

• Assist with social media (Facebook, Hookit, Twitter, Digg, Stumbleupon) and Internet presence – top blogging sites for skate and environmentalism

• Learn fundamental business concepts across a myriad of disciplines (marketing, production, sales, strategy, etc.)

Internship-in-training Requirements:

• Applicants should be active participants with a thorough understanding of the skateboarding, surfing and snowboarding youth culture; prefer skateboarding-focused.

• Applicants require a minimum of 6 months experience in an action sports related generalist position

• Applicants should be outgoing and personable with good social and conversational skills

• Must be analytical, process driven, detail oriented and be trusted to get the job done

• Must be able to manage your time with outside life, work, etc.

• Must be a leader and a self-starter…but also maintain the ability to work independently

• Prefer college graduates, but others can receive college credit

**Your resume should be molded to fit our needs and be focused on action sports; no cookie-cutter resumes**

***No cover letters please!*** –  Remove them entirely when submitting.

Failure to answer these questions automatically disqualifies you.

1. What are you looking to get out of an internship in relation to your future goals?

2. What do you feel makes you a qualified candidate?

3. Why have you chosen BambooSK8?

4. What days of the week are you available to come in and work a full day?

5. Are you financially stable to ensure that you can do an internship up to 4 months unpaid?

Please submit your resume and answer to the questions to info@bamboosk8.com